JP4677876B2 - Vehicle diagnostic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is a vehicle that performs failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device and stores freeze frame data, which is data indicating an operation status of the in-vehicle device at the time when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected, in a data memory. The present invention relates to a diagnostic device.

  As is well known, in a vehicle, for example, control related to various in-vehicle devices such as control of fuel injection of an in-vehicle engine is performed. Incidentally, in the control of the fuel injection of the in-vehicle engine, the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture provided for combustion is usually recognized each time based on the output signal from the oxygen sensor that detects the oxygen concentration in the exhaust pipe. Or, the amount of harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas is reduced by controlling the fuel injection amount according to the lean). However, in such control, if proper control regarding the fuel injection amount or the like is not performed due to, for example, a failure of the oxygen sensor, the engine output is adversely affected, and harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas are not affected. Conversely, it may increase.

  Therefore, conventionally, it has been proposed to mount a vehicle diagnostic apparatus for performing a failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device including an in-vehicle engine on the vehicle. That is, in such a vehicle diagnostic apparatus, for example, the failure diagnosis is performed based on an output signal from a sensor that detects a physical quantity that changes in accordance with the operating status of the in-vehicle device. And when the failure of the said sensor and other vehicle equipment is detected, the vehicle diagnostic apparatus is the data which shows the operation | movement condition of the said vehicle equipment at the time when the said abnormal code | cord | chord is detected. Diagnostic data such as freeze frame data is stored in a data memory and stored. At the same time, the fail-safe that is set in advance according to the stored and retained abnormal code is executed, and further, the execution of the fail-safe is instructed to another control device. Through such processing, the above-mentioned concerns are solved. Of the data stored in the data memory, the freeze frame data is normally output from the data memory to an external tool by wired communication, for example, when repairing or inspecting the in-vehicle device, and causes the occurrence of a failure in the in-vehicle device. It will be used for analysis.

  However, in recent years, in response to demands for environmental conservation, vehicle safety, and the like, for example, the above-described control of fuel injection of an in-vehicle engine, brake control of the vehicle, etc. Control for compensating for this is frequently performed. And as the in-vehicle devices for realizing such control, the types and amounts of oxygen sensors for detecting the oxygen concentration in the exhaust pipe and vehicle speed sensors for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle tend to increase year by year. That is, in such a vehicle diagnostic apparatus, the types and amounts of the diagnostic data stored in the data memory are increasing, and depending on the capacity of the data memory, the diagnostic data can be appropriately stored and held. Can be difficult.

  Therefore, conventionally, as seen in Patent Document 1, for example, among the diagnostic data stored in the data memory, the freeze frame data is provided outside the vehicle and wirelessly communicated with the vehicle diagnostic apparatus. A vehicle diagnostic apparatus or the like that is evacuated (transferred) to a data storage unit in a management center that exchanges information has also been proposed.

In other words, as described above, the freeze frame data is stored and held for use in analyzing the cause of the failure of the in-vehicle device. In this sense, such data is not necessarily stored in the data memory in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus. It does not have to be retained. In this regard, according to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the freeze frame data is stored and held in the data storage unit in the management center, the corresponding data in the data memory is It can also be erased.
JP 11-65645 A

  As described above, in the conventional vehicle diagnostic apparatus, the freeze frame data for which the transfer has been completed can be erased from the data memory, so that more diagnostic data is stored and retained (accumulated) in the data memory. Will be able to.

  However, the conventional vehicle diagnostic apparatus may cause a freeze frame data transfer error or the like when the freeze frame data stored in the data memory is transmitted (transferred) to the management center by wireless communication. Error data may be stored in the data storage unit in the management center. If the freeze frame data stored and held in the data memory is erased under such circumstances, the reliability itself as the freeze frame data is also greatly reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to store and retain more diagnostic data with higher reliability even if the built-in data memory is limited in capacity. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle diagnostic apparatus that can perform the above-described operation.

In order to achieve such an object, when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, when the failure diagnosis of the in-vehicle device is executed based on the sensor output of the sensor that detects the physical quantity that changes according to the operation status of the in-vehicle device. The freeze frame data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device is stored in the internal data memory, and the freeze frame data stored in the data memory is saved by communication with a separately provided storage device. A vehicle diagnostic apparatus comprising a memory operation means for performing a memory operation for determining the appropriateness of communication and erasing the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory under the determination that the communication is properly performed. the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to 1, wherein the storage device, to manage the freeze frame data at outside of the vehicle Provided in a management center, the freeze frame data is saved between the vehicle and the management center by wireless communication, and information other than data related to the freeze frame data is also exchanged. The memory operation means determines that the communication has been properly performed based on notification from the management center indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received. When it is determined whether there is the vehicle at a position where the wireless communication can be performed based on the sensitivity situation regarding data exchange other than the data related to the freeze frame data, and when it is determined that there is a vehicle at the position The freeze frame assuming that a communication environment between the vehicle and the management center is in place It was to send over data.
Further, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, the vehicle diagnostic apparatus can be connected to an external tool via a communication line, and the storage device stores the freeze frame data outside the vehicle. And the save of the freeze frame data by the communication is performed by wireless communication with the management center, and the memory operation means receives freeze frame data from the management center. When it is determined that the communication has been properly performed based on notification of information indicating that the reception has been properly performed, and when there is an output request for the freeze frame data from the external tool, The management center is notified of the request for returning the freeze frame data, and the management
The freeze frame data returned from the center is output to the external tool.

In such a configuration, in order to erase the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory on the condition that the freeze frame data stored in the built-in data memory is properly saved to the outside. Thus, more diagnostic data can be stored and held under higher reliability.

Further, according to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, retraction of the freeze frame data is performed by wireless communication with an external management center, receiving the freeze frame data from the management center because on the basis of that information indicating that properly performed is notified communication is to be judged to have been made properly, so that it is possible to suitably suppress the capacity of the storage medium in the vehicle become. When the management center receives the freeze frame data from a plurality of vehicles for overall management,
Notifying the vehicle user (driver) that a failure of the in-vehicle device has been detected.・ Statistics of breakdowns of in-vehicle devices, for example, for each vehicle type and production lot, and use the results of the statistics for vehicle development (safety measures, etc.).
The freeze frame data can be effectively used more easily, and an appropriate service can be realized particularly in terms of vehicle maintenance.

Further, according to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, regardless of the mounting Ikan to car navigation systems both, the communication environment between the vehicle and the control center based on the location of the vehicle It will be possible to judge accurately.

In addition , when the vehicle diagnostic apparatus can be connected to an external tool via a communication line, an output request for the freeze frame data is notified from the external tool at, for example, a dealer or a repair shop. There is also. However, at this time, if the freeze frame data is erased from the data memory, there is a concern that an appropriate service is not properly provided at the dealer or repair shop. In this regard, according to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus of the second aspect, the above- mentioned concerns can be solved.

Further, particularly in this case, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 , after the memory operation means notifies the request for returning the freeze frame data, the freeze frame is sent from the management center within a predetermined period. Further providing the function of outputting the information indicating that the freeze frame data is stored and held in the management center to the external tool based on the fact that the data is not returned eliminates the above-mentioned concern. More desirable above.

Further, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4 , the memory operation unit performs wireless communication with the management center. If it is configured to include communication means to perform, when the freeze frame data is evacuated to the outside, it is possible to suitably suppress a load on a communication line such as an in-vehicle network built in the vehicle. .

  The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the data memory includes a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5. The operating means stores in the volatile memory data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device at that time based on the fact that the in-vehicle device has been detected by the failure diagnosis, and the data stored in the volatile memory. If the freeze frame data is temporarily saved in the nonvolatile memory as the freeze frame data, the freeze frame data is appropriately stored in the data memory until the freeze frame data is saved to the external management center. It becomes possible to memorize and hold.
  On the other hand, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, a point in time when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected and before and after the freeze frame data The time-series freeze frame data, which is the data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device, is adopted.
  At this time, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, when the data memory is composed of a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, the memory operating means is Data indicating the operation status of the device is stored in the volatile memory in time series, and when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, the data indicates the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time. By associating data indicating the operation status before and after the in-vehicle device and temporarily saving the associated data as the time-series freeze frame data in the nonvolatile memory, the time-series freeze frame data is The simultaneous freeze frame data is properly stored and retained in the data memory until it is saved to an external management center. So that it is Rukoto.
  Specifically, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, the data stored in time series in the volatile memory is composed of at least three data sampled every predetermined time, and these The storage of data stored in time series in the volatile memory is as follows: (a) The relationship between the data sampled at the predetermined time and the addresses corresponding to the sampling order of the data is maintained.
as well as,
(B) Sequentially shifted in first-in first-out, that is, FIFO (First In
  First Out).
When the memory operation means is performed under the AND condition, the data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time based on the fact that the in-vehicle device failure is detected by the failure diagnosis, and The data immediately after the time point among the data to be shifted and the data from the time point to at least two before the time point among the data to be shifted may be associated as the time-series freeze frame data. It is practically desirable to perform the association easily.

In the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, the data memory includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and the memory operating means is based on the fact that a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. A plurality of items of data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device in the storage are stored in the volatile memory, and a part of the plurality of items of data stored in the volatile memory is temporarily stored in the nonvolatile memory as the freeze frame data. And evacuate the
During communication of the Leeds frame data, it is determined whether or not the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the vehicle diagnostic device is continued after the failure diagnosis is detected by the failure diagnosis, and this power supply state is continued. Under the determination that the data is not stored in the volatile memory, the data that is not adopted as the freeze frame data among the data of the plurality of items indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device is also saved in the storage device. I did it.
In the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, the data memory includes a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory, and the volatile memory stores a plurality of items of data indicating an operation status of the in-vehicle device, The memory operation means stores the data adopted as the freeze frame data among the data of the plurality of items in the volatile memory in time series, and when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, The data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at the time point is associated with the data indicating the operation status before and after the in-vehicle device, and the associated data is temporarily saved in the nonvolatile memory as time-series freeze frame data When the time series freeze frame data is communicated, a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. It is determined whether or not the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the vehicle diagnostic device is continued, and the vehicle is stored in the volatile memory under the determination that the power supply state is continued. Data that is not adopted as the time-series freeze frame data out of a plurality of items of data indicating the operation status of the device is saved together with the storage device.
Even with such a configuration, the corresponding freeze frame data is erased from the data memory on the condition that the freeze frame data stored in the built-in data memory is properly saved to the outside. Therefore, more diagnostic data can be stored and held with higher reliability.
In addition, according to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus of the ninth aspect , the freeze frame data can be appropriately stored and held in the data memory until the freeze frame data is saved to an external storage device . It becomes like this. Furthermore, not only the data adopted as the freeze frame data, but also other data are used for analysis of the cause of the failure of the in-vehicle device, and more detailed analysis based on such data becomes possible.

On the other hand, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, the freeze frame data is a time series freeze frame which is data indicating an operation status of the in-vehicle device at the time when the failure of the in-vehicle device is detected and before and after the failure is detected. The data is adopted.

In other words, such time-series freeze frame data indicates the transition of the operating status of the in-vehicle device from before the in-vehicle device has failed until after that, and enables more detailed analysis of the cause of the failure. It is what. However, such time-series freeze frame data includes, in its data structure, the amount of information contained in the data rather than freeze frame data consisting only of data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device when the in-vehicle device fails. In many cases, the influence on the free space of the data memory is inevitable. In this regard, in the above configuration, the corresponding freeze frame data is stored in the data memory on the condition that it is determined that the freeze frame data stored in the built-in data memory is properly saved to the external storage device. in the car both diagnostic device that will be erased from, due to the adoption of such a time-sequential freeze frame data, even it would be capacity constraints in the data memory built, time series under higher reliability Freeze frame data can be stored and held, and as a result, more detailed analysis of the cause of the failure of the in-vehicle device can be performed based on such time-series freeze frame data.

The stores time series data indicating the operating status of the vehicle mounting device to the volatile memory, when the abnormality of the vehicle equipment is detected by the fault diagnosis, the operating status of the vehicle equipment at the time by be Rukoto as to associate the data indicating the front and rear of the operational status of the data and the vehicle device, is temporarily saved the associated the data in the time-sequential freeze frame data in the nonvolatile memory shown, the Until the time series freeze frame data is saved to an external storage device , the simultaneous series freeze frame data can be appropriately stored and held in the data memory. Furthermore, not only the data adopted as the freeze frame data, but also other data are used for analysis of the cause of the failure of the in-vehicle device, and more detailed analysis based on such data becomes possible.

Specifically, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 11 , the data stored in time series in the volatile memory includes at least three data sampled every predetermined time, and these Storage of data stored in time series in the same volatile memory
(A) The relationship between the data sampled every predetermined time and the addresses corresponding to the sampling order of the data is maintained.
as well as,
(B) Sequentially shifted in first-in first-out, that is, FIFO (First In
First Out).
When the memory operation means is performed under the AND condition, the data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time based on the fact that the in-vehicle device failure is detected by the failure diagnosis, and The data immediately after the time point among the data to be shifted and the data from the time point to at least two before the time point among the data to be shifted may be associated as the time-series freeze frame data. It is practically desirable to perform the association easily.

  The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the storage device manages the freeze frame data outside the vehicle as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12. Provided in the center, and the freeze frame
When the data is saved by wireless communication with the management center, the memory operating means is notified of information indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received from the management center. It may be determined that the communication is properly performed based on the above.
  Further, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, the memory operating unit transmits the freeze frame data from the management center within a predetermined period after transmitting the freeze frame data. By further providing a function of retransmitting the freeze frame data to the management center based on the fact that the information indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received is not notified, between the vehicle and the management center. It is possible to more reliably perform information exchange by wireless communication.
  However, in the vehicle diagnostic device according to claim 13, since the communication function itself of the vehicle or the management center may be out of order, the memory operation is performed as in the vehicle diagnostic device according to claim 14. Means for counting the number of continuous executions of retransmission of the freeze frame data, and indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received from the management center even if the counted number of continuous executions reaches a predetermined number It is practically desirable to further provide a function of canceling the re-transmission of the freeze frame data when there is an abnormality in communication between the vehicle and the management center. In addition, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 15, the memory operation means counts the number of continuous executions of the retransmission of the freeze frame data, and the counted number of continuous executions reaches a predetermined number. When the information indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received is not notified from the management center, the user is notified of information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the vehicle and the management center. It is more desirable to further provide the function to perform.
  Further, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16, the memory operation unit is configured to transmit the freeze frame data at the management center. Determining whether or not a communication environment between the vehicle and the management center is established, and transmitting the freeze frame data based on the determination that the communication environment is prepared. It is more desirable for proper communication between the two.
  Further, in this case, in particular, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 17, whether or not the vehicle is in a position where the memory operation means can perform wireless communication with the management center. If the determination is made and it is determined that the communication environment is prepared based on the presence of the vehicle at the position, the determination can be made accurately and easily.
  On the other hand, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the storage device manages the freeze frame data inside a vehicle. The freeze frame data is saved by the wired communication with the in-vehicle control device, and the memory operation means receives the freeze frame data from the in-vehicle control device. It is determined that the communication has been properly performed based on notification of information indicating that the reception has been properly performed. Even if it is such a structure, the capacity | capacitance of the said data memory incorporated in the said vehicle diagnostic apparatus can be suppressed suitably.

Moreover, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18 , in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 19 , a time at which a failure of an in-vehicle device is detected in the freeze frame data by the failure diagnosis. The time information indicating is given. Furthermore, in the vehicle diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 , in the vehicle diagnostic device according to claim 20 , a time when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected in the freeze frame data by the failure diagnosis. Thus, there is not enough free space to store the freeze frame data in the data memory, and time information indicating the total time when the key switch of the vehicle is in the ON state is given.

In any of these configurations, the time from when the on-vehicle device failure is detected until the freeze frame data is saved to an external storage device, that is, after the corresponding freeze frame data is registered in the data memory. The time until erasure can be recognized on the external storage device side. However, when performing failure analysis based on this information,
The time when the freeze frame data is not erased from the data memory even though there is not enough free space to store the freeze frame data in the data memory, that is, no new freeze frame data is registered in the data memory. The time that was possible.
The time when the freeze frame data is not erased from the data memory even though the vehicle key switch is on.
In many cases, more detailed time information is required. In this sense, the vehicle diagnostic device according to claim 20 is more preferably adopted than the vehicle diagnostic device according to claim 19. desirable.
Furthermore, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, as in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 21, the memory operation unit is configured such that the key of the vehicle is saved while the freeze frame data is being saved. A function of holding the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the vehicle diagnostic device based on the turning-off operation of the switch for a time required for the retraction is provided, and the freeze frame data is stored in the storage device. More desirable for proper evacuation.
Furthermore, in the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 22, the freeze frame data includes a free space for storing the freeze frame data in the data memory from a time when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. There is no capacity, and time information indicating the total time when the key switch of the vehicle is in the ON state is given. According to such a configuration, on the condition that the freeze frame data stored in the built-in data memory is properly saved to the outside, the corresponding freeze frame data is erased from the data memory. Therefore, more diagnostic data can be stored and held with higher reliability, and the freeze frame data is saved to an external storage device from the time when the failure of the in-vehicle device is detected. The external storage device can recognize the time until the data is deleted, that is, the time from when the corresponding freeze frame data is registered in the data memory until it is erased.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a system in which the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to this embodiment is employed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to this embodiment is adopted in a system that exchanges information by wireless communication between a plurality of vehicles and a management center 200.
Here, in this system, the management center 200 acquires vehicle information such as the operation status and diagnostic data on the vehicle side through wireless communication and performs overall management. For example, a well-known arithmetic processing device (not shown) ), A communication device (not shown), a storage device 201 including a nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk, and the like.

In addition, the vehicle side usually has an in-vehicle network composed of a plurality of electronic control devices that perform distributed control of various in-vehicle devices, for example, a bus-type network system such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). For example, in the vehicle 100, as shown in FIG.
An engine control device 110 that controls fuel injection and the like of the in-vehicle engine.
A transmission control device 120 that performs automatic switching control of the transmission gear ratio.
A brake control device 130 that performs vehicle brake control.
A communication control device 140 that exchanges information by wireless communication with an external management center 200 that comprehensively manages various types of information about a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle 100.
And so on, and has an in-vehicle network composed of electronic control devices.

  Incidentally, between each of these electronic control devices 110-140, each control state, control result, etc. are exchanged through a communication bus BS to which these electronic control devices are electrically connected. Usually, on the basis of the information exchanged in this way and control data held in advance, a control program stored in a read-only memory included in each of the electronic control devices 110 to 140 is executed. Each control is performed in cooperation. For example, in the transmission control device 120, when a detection signal (binarized signal) from a vehicle speed sensor provided on an output shaft or the like of the transmission is captured, data indicating vehicle speed information is created based on the detection signal. This is transmitted as serial data, for example, to the communication bus 101. Then, this serial data is taken into the brake control device 130, for example, and used in the brake control of the vehicle described above in the brake control device 130. In addition to the read-only memory, each of the electronic control devices includes a calculation unit that reads and executes program data stored in the memory, a data memory that stores calculation results by the calculation unit, and the like. A communication unit for exchanging information with the electronic control unit has a well-known configuration.

  By the way, in such an in-vehicle network, failure diagnosis of in-vehicle devices including an in-vehicle engine is performed based on information exchanged through the communication bus BS. For example, the engine control device (vehicle diagnostic device) 110 performs failure diagnosis on the basis of data indicating the operating status of the oxygen sensor and other in-vehicle devices. As a result, when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected, diagnostic data such as the corresponding abnormal code and freeze frame data which is data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device when the failure is detected. Is stored in the data memory 111 built in the engine control device 110 itself and stored. At the same time, the fail safe preset in accordance with the abnormal code stored and held in the data memory 111 is executed, and further, the other control device is instructed to execute the fail safe. Through such processing, for example, even when the oxygen sensor has failed, appropriate control regarding the fuel injection amount of the vehicle-mounted engine is continuously executed.

However, as described above, among the diagnostic data stored in the data memory 111, the freeze frame data is stored and held for use in analyzing the cause of the failure of the in-vehicle device. The data is not necessarily stored and held in the data memory 111 in the engine control apparatus 110. Therefore, in the engine control apparatus 110 according to this embodiment, the freeze frame data stored in the data memory 111 is saved to the storage device 201 in the management center 200 by communication. At this time, the appropriateness of the communication is determined, and a memory operation for deleting the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory 111 is performed based on the determination that the communication is properly performed. With such a configuration, it is possible to store and retain more diagnostic data with higher reliability while suitably suppressing the capacity of the storage medium in the vehicle. Moreover, as described above, the management center 200 according to this embodiment acquires information on the vehicle side, in particular, the freeze frame data here by wireless communication, and performs overall management.
The management center 200 outside the vehicle notifies the user (driver) of the corresponding vehicle that a failure of the in-vehicle device has been detected.
・ Statistics of breakdowns of in-vehicle devices, for example, for each vehicle type and production lot, and use the results of the statistics for vehicle development (safety measures, etc.).
The freeze frame data can be effectively used more easily, and an appropriate service can be realized particularly in terms of vehicle maintenance.

  The engine control apparatus 110 according to this embodiment employs a random access memory (RAM) in which a part of the memory area is backed up by an in-vehicle battery as the data memory 111. Now, assuming that a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, the engine control device 110 first stores data indicating the operation status of the corresponding in-vehicle device in the data memory 111 that is not backed up. Store in the area (volatile memory) 111a. Thereafter, the data stored in the work area 111a is temporarily saved in the backup area (nonvolatile memory) 111b of the data memory 111 as the freeze frame data. In such a configuration, the freeze frame data can be appropriately stored and held in the backup area 111b until the freeze frame data is saved in the storage device 201 in the management center 200. . However, as described above, after the freeze frame data stored in the backup area 111b is saved in the storage device 201 in the management center 200, the engine control apparatus 110 transfers the corresponding freeze frame data to the backup area 111b. The memory operation to be erased from is performed.

  Further, the engine control apparatus 110 according to this embodiment uses the time series freeze frame data which is data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device before and after the time when the in-vehicle device failure is detected as the freeze frame data. Is going to be adopted.

FIG. 2 shows an outline of such time-series freeze frame data.
As shown in FIG. 2, the time-series freeze frame data includes data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device at the time when the in-vehicle device failure is detected, data D0 including the corresponding abnormal code, and the failure Data D1 indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device before the detection of the failure, and data D2 indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device after the failure is detected. The operating status of in-vehicle devices is usually
An output value (engine speed) by a crank sensor that detects the rotation mode of the crankshaft of the engine.
-Output value (intake air amount) by an air flow sensor that detects the amount of air taken into the engine.
-Output value (vehicle speed) by a vehicle speed sensor provided on the output shaft of the transmission.
-Output value from the water temperature sensor (water temperature).
-Output value (intake air temperature) by an intake air temperature sensor that detects the temperature of air taken into the engine.
-The output value from the oxygen sensor that detects the oxygen concentration in the exhaust pipe.
It is indicated by the output value from the in-vehicle sensor such as and so on.

  In this way, the time-series freeze frame data shows the transition of the operating status of the in-vehicle device from before the on-vehicle device has failed until after that, and enables more detailed analysis of the cause of the failure. To do. However, such time-series freeze frame data includes, in its data structure, information included in the data rather than freeze frame data including only data D0 indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at the time when the in-vehicle device fails. The amount is large, and the influence on the free capacity of the data memory 111 is inevitable. In this regard, in the engine control apparatus 110 according to this embodiment, as described above, the freeze frame data is stored in the data memory on the condition that it is determined that the freeze frame data has been properly saved to the outside. Erase is actively performed from the backup area 111b. For this reason, even when such time-series freeze frame data is adopted, more diagnostic data can be stored and held with higher reliability. Based on this, it becomes possible to perform a more detailed analysis on the cause of the failure of the in-vehicle device.

  Next, a memory operation performed by the engine control device 110 when such time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b of the data memory 111 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that DATA (i, j) shown in FIG. 3 indicates the sampling order (i) and type (j) of the corresponding data. However, in FIG. 3, the data whose sampling order is set to “0” is data sampled at the time of abnormality.

  In this process, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device is stored in time series in the work area 111a of the data memory 111.

Specifically, for the work area 111a of the data memory 111, four data FD1 to FD4 sampled every predetermined time (for example, “500 ms”),
(A) The relationship between the data FD1 to FD4 and the addresses corresponding to the sampling order of the data FD1 to FD4 is maintained.
as well as,
(B) The data FD1 to FD4 are sequentially shifted in first-in first-out.
It is stored (updated) each time under the logical product condition. And, for example, when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected at the timing shown in FIG. 3B, the data FD1 to FD3 for the data D0 indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time, It is set as data D1 indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device before the failure is detected. In addition, the data FD4 is set as data D2 indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device after the failure is detected. Then, after the data D0 to D2 set in this way are associated as the time series freeze frame data, the associated data is temporarily saved in the backup area 111b as the time series freeze frame data. As a result, time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b of the data memory 111.

  4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the memory operation procedure for such a memory operation. Next, the memory operation procedure will be further described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 shows a process that is repeatedly performed every predetermined time (for example, “500 ms”). FIG. 5 shows processing performed based on the fact that a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis.

  In this processing, the engine control device 110 first performs the processing of steps S111 and S112 as shown in FIG. 4 with respect to the work area 111a of the data memory 111, the four data FD1 to FD4 (FIG. 3 (see (a)) is stored (updated) under the logical product conditions of (A) and (B) above. That is, in the process of step S111, the data FD2 to FD4 of the data FD1 to FD4 (FIG. 3A) already stored in the work area 111a of the data memory 111 are shifted to the data FD1 to FD3, respectively. . Then, in the processing of the next step S112, the data indicating the operating status of the on-vehicle device at that time is newly stored at the address associated with the sampling order of the work area 111a, and this is set as data FD4. .

  Then, as a process of step S113, it is determined whether or not an abnormality occurrence flag indicating that a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis is set. The abnormality occurrence flag is stored in, for example, the data memory 111, and the flag state is manipulated by the engine control device 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the abnormality flag indicates that the data D0 (see FIG. 3B) is stored in the data memory 111 when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. On the condition that it is stored in the work area 111a (step S121), the flag state is operated to the set state (step S122).

  Accordingly, in the process of step S113, when the abnormality occurrence flag is set, the data FD3 shifted in the process of step S112 and the data FD4 newly stored in the process of step S113 are displayed. The failure of the in-vehicle device is detected between the two and the situation is as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, the engine control device 110 sets the data D0 and the data D0 in the work area 111a on the condition that the backup area 111b has enough free space to store the time-series freeze frame data (step S114). Data FD1 to FD4 are associated (step S115). Next, the associated data is temporarily saved in the backup area 111b as the time-series freeze frame data (step S115). Then, as the process of step S116, when the abnormality occurrence flag is operated to the reset state, this control is finished.

  However, in the process of step S114, if the backup area 111b does not have enough free space for temporarily saving the time-series freeze frame data, the process of step S116 is not performed without performing the process of step S115. This control is terminated when the process is executed.

  On the other hand, if the abnormality occurrence flag is not set in the process of step S113, the situation is as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, the processes in steps S111 and S112 are repeated every predetermined time until it is determined that the abnormality occurrence flag is set.

  Next, a memory operation procedure for erasing the time-series freeze frame data stored in the backup area 111b from the backup area 111b will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the memory operation procedure. In this memory operation, wireless communication between the engine control device 110 and the management center 200 is performed by the communication control device 140.

  That is, when the time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b (step S131), the engine control device 110 first transmits the corresponding time-series freeze frame data to the management center 200 by wireless communication. (Transfer) (step S132). Next, the appropriateness of this communication is determined, and based on the determination that the communication has been made properly (step S133), the corresponding time-series freeze frame data is erased from the backup area 111b (step S134). That is, in this embodiment, each time the time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b, the engine control device 110 performs such a process (steps S132 to S134), whereby the backup area 111b The free space is suitably secured.

  In this embodiment, it is determined that the communication has been properly performed (step S133). After the time-series freeze frame data is transmitted, the management center 200 transmits the simultaneous-series freeze frame data within a predetermined period. This is performed based on the notification of information (reception completion notification) indicating that the reception has been properly performed. However, at this time, when the reception completion notification is not received, the engine control device 110 next performs processing (steps S135 to S137) for retransmitting the corresponding freeze frame data to the management center 200. Will be done. That is, first, as the process of step S135, the number of continuous executions of retransmission of the time-series freeze frame data is counted, and the counted number of continuous executions indicates that the communication function itself of the vehicle 100 or the management center 200 has failed. It is determined whether or not the upper limit, which is the number of times of concern, has been exceeded. As will be described later, if the counted number of consecutive executions is less than or equal to the upper limit, it is determined that the communication environment with the management center 200 is in place as the processing of steps S136 and S137. Wait until it becomes. As a result, if it is determined that the communication environment with the management center 200 is ready, the engine control device 110 then shifts again to the process of step S132, and this step S132 In this process, the time-series freeze frame data is retransmitted. That is, in this case, basically, the processes of steps S135 to S137 and step S132 are repeatedly executed until the reception completion notification is transmitted from the management center 200.

  However, as a result of the repeated re-transmission process, if the counted number of continuous executions exceeds the upper limit in the process of step S135, the communication function itself of the vehicle 100 or the management center 200 is used. Since there is a concern that an abnormality has occurred, the retransmission process is stopped. Then, the abnormal state is notified to the driver through the MIL lamp (step S138). Note that when the MIL lamp is turned on, execution of the memory operation (FIG. 6) itself may be prohibited.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for the communication environment determination (step S137) performed by the engine control apparatus 110. Next, the processing will be described with reference to FIG.

  Incidentally, between the vehicle 100 and the management center 200, information exchange about data other than the data related to the time-series freeze frame data is also performed. In this regard, the engine control apparatus 110 according to this embodiment determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is located at a position where the wireless communication can be performed based on the sensitivity state related to the information exchange. The communication environment is determined.

  That is, when determining the communication environment, as shown in FIG. 7, the engine control device 110 first operates the reception history flag to the reset state as the process of step S141. When data other than the data related to the time-series freeze frame data is transmitted from the management center 200 (step S142), when the reception history flag is set to the set state (step S143), this control is performed. finish. Thereby, in the process of the next step S137 (see FIG. 6), it is determined that the communication environment is good based on the reception history flag being set.

  On the other hand, if no data other than the data related to the time-series freeze frame data is transmitted from the management center 200 in the process of step S142, the control is performed at that time without performing the process of step S143. finish. That is, in this case, in the process of the next step S137 (see FIG. 6), it is determined that the communication environment is not good based on the reception history flag being in the reset state, and the communication environment is determined in the process of step S137. The process of step S136 is repeated until it is determined that the condition is good.

  Incidentally, it is conceivable that the IG switch of the vehicle 100 is turned off during the time series freeze frame data saving process. At this time, if the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the engine control device 110 is released, the reliability as the time series freeze frame data may be lowered. Therefore, in the engine control device 110 according to this embodiment, when the IG switch of the vehicle 100 is turned off while the time-series freeze frame data is saved, the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the engine control device 110 is changed. Only the time required for the save processing is held.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of processing performed by the engine control device 110 when the IG switch is turned off.
That is, now, assuming that the IG switch is turned off, the engine control device 110 first maintains the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery based on the main relay control as the process of step S151. Next, in step S152, it is determined whether the time-series freeze frame data is being saved. The term “evacuating” here means that the work area 111a is being saved to the backup area 111b and the backup area 111b is being saved to the storage device 201 in the management center 200. When the evacuation process is being performed, the process waits until the evacuation process ends. As a result, when the time-series freeze frame data saving process is completed, the control is terminated when the holding of the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery based on the main relay control is released (step S153).

As described above, according to the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to this embodiment, the following excellent effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the freeze frame data stored in the built-in data memory 111 is determined to have been properly saved to the outside, the corresponding freeze frame data is deleted from the data memory 111. Thus, more diagnostic data can be stored and held under higher reliability.

  (2) Since the freeze frame data is saved in the storage device 201 in the management center 200 by wireless communication, the capacity of the storage medium in the vehicle 100 can be suitably suppressed. In addition, an appropriate service can be realized in terms of vehicle maintenance.

  (3) After transmitting the freeze frame data, the freeze frame data is retransmitted to the management center 200 based on the fact that the reception completion notification is not transmitted from the management center 200 within a predetermined period. For this reason, it is possible to more reliably exchange information by wireless communication between the vehicle 100 and the management center 200.

  (4) Since the MIL lamp is turned on when the number of continuous transmissions of the time-series freeze frame data exceeds the upper limit value, the driver detects the abnormal state of the communication function itself of the vehicle 100 or the management center 200. Can be notified.

  (5) When transmitting the time-series freeze frame data, it is determined whether or not a communication environment with the management center 200 is prepared (steps S136 and S137), and it is determined that the communication environment is prepared. The time-series freeze frame data is transmitted below. For this reason, communication between the vehicle 100 and the management center 200 can be appropriately performed.

  (6) Information other than data related to the time-series freeze frame data is also exchanged between the vehicle 100 and the management center 200, and the wireless communication is performed based on the sensitivity status of the information exchange. It is determined whether or not the vehicle 100 is in a position where it can be performed. That is, since it is determined that the communication environment is prepared based on the presence of the vehicle 100 at a position where the wireless communication can be performed, the determination can be performed accurately and easily.

  (7) As the freeze frame data, time-series freeze frame data, which is data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device before and after the failure of the in-vehicle device is detected, is adopted. For this reason, it becomes possible to perform a more detailed analysis about the cause of failure occurrence of the in-vehicle device based on such time-series freeze frame data.

  (8) As the data memory 111, a random access memory (RAM) including a work area 111a and a backup area 111b is adopted. Data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device is stored in the work area 111a in time series, and when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time is indicated. We decided to associate the data with the data indicating the operational status of the vehicle equipment before and after that. Since the associated data is temporarily saved in the backup area 111b as the time-series freeze frame data, the simultaneous series until the time-series freeze frame data is saved to the external management center 200. The freeze frame data can be appropriately stored and held in the data memory 111.

  (9) Based on the fact that the IG switch of the vehicle 100 is turned off during the saving of the time series freeze frame data, the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the engine control device 110 is held for the time required for the saving. Therefore, the reliability as the time series freeze frame data can be suitably maintained.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In addition, the vehicle diagnosis apparatus of this embodiment also performs failure diagnosis based on an output signal from a sensor that detects a physical quantity that changes in accordance with the operating status of in-vehicle devices including an in-vehicle engine. Specifically, for example, the engine control device 110 is one of a plurality of electronic control devices that perform distributed control of various in-vehicle devices. Further, the data memory 111 built in the engine control device 110 has a memory structure almost the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), and a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. In some cases, the engine control device 110 performs the data memory 111 on
The data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device at the time when the failure is detected and the data indicating the operating status before and after the in-vehicle device are associated in the work area 111a of the data memory 111, and the association is performed. Data is temporarily saved in the backup area 111b as the time-series freeze frame data.
・ The time series freeze frame data stored in the backup area 111b of the data memory 111 is saved to a separately provided storage device by communication, and the appropriateness of this communication is judged, and the communication is made appropriate. Based on the determination that the corresponding time-series freeze frame data is deleted, it is deleted from the backup area 111b.
The point of performing the memory operation such as, etc. is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. Similarly, the engine control device 110 of this embodiment also supplies power to the engine control device 110 from the in-vehicle battery based on the fact that the IG switch of the vehicle is turned off while the time series freeze frame data is being saved. The state is held only for the time required for the save processing.

  However, in the vehicle-mounted network according to this embodiment, as one of a plurality of electronic control devices that perform distributed control of the various vehicle-mounted devices, as shown in FIG. 9, a navigation control device ( In-vehicle control device 150 is connected. The navigation control device 150 includes a large-capacity storage device 151 such as a hard disk, and the engine control device 110 according to the present embodiment stores the time series freeze frame data in the storage device 151. Is evacuated via the communication bus BS. The corresponding time-series freeze frame data is erased from the backup area 111b on the condition that the evacuation is properly performed. Even with such a configuration, the capacity of the data memory 111 built in the engine control device 110 can be suitably suppressed.

FIG. 10 shows the memory operation procedure for the memory operation according to this embodiment. Next, the memory operation procedure will be described with reference to FIG.
That is, when the time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b (step S231), the engine control device 110 first transmits the corresponding time-series freeze frame data to the navigation control device 150 via the communication bus BS. Is transmitted (transferred) via (step S232). Next, the appropriateness of this communication is determined, and based on the determination that the communication has been made properly (step S233), the corresponding time-series freeze frame data is erased from the backup area 111b (step S234). That is, also in this embodiment, each time the time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b, the engine control device 110 performs such a process (steps S232 to S234), thereby the backup area 111b. The free space inside is suitably secured.

  In this embodiment, the determination as to whether or not the communication has been performed properly (step S233) is made based on the communication protocol of the in-vehicle network. Further, in the process of step S233, the process when the appropriateness of the communication is not confirmed (retransmission process or the like) is similarly performed based on the communication protocol of the in-vehicle network.

  As described above, the vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment is basically equivalent to the effects (1) and (7) to (9) of the first embodiment. Or, an effect equivalent to that can be obtained.

  The vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the processing mode shown as the second embodiment in the system in which the navigation control apparatus is mounted on a vehicle. It can also be implemented in the embodiment exemplified in.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the storage device 151 in the navigation control device 150 is used as the final save destination of the time-series freeze frame data. However, if the in-vehicle network is for exchanging information with the management center 200 shown in FIG. 1 as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the processing procedure shown in FIG. Based on this, the time-series freeze frame data saved in the storage device 151 can be further saved in the management center 200 by wireless communication. By adopting such a processing mode,
The management center 200 outside the vehicle notifies the user (driver) of the corresponding vehicle that a failure of the in-vehicle device has been detected.
・ Statistics of breakdowns of in-vehicle devices, for example, for each vehicle type and production lot, and use the results of the statistics for vehicle development (safety measures, etc.).
The time-series freeze frame data can be effectively used more easily, and an appropriate service can be realized particularly in terms of vehicle maintenance.

  Hereinafter, a memory operation performed by the navigation control device 150 in this modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the memory operation procedure for such a memory operation. Further, this process is repeatedly performed every predetermined period.

  In this process, the navigation control device 150 first determines whether or not the time-series freeze frame data has been transmitted from the engine control device 110 as the processing of step S241. As a result, when it is determined that there is the transmission, the time series freeze frame data is stored in the storage device 151 (step S242), and the simultaneous series freeze frame data is transmitted to the management center 200 by wireless communication. (Steps S243 and S244). Next, the appropriateness of this communication is determined, and based on the determination that the communication has been properly performed (step S245), the corresponding time-series freeze frame data is erased from the storage device 151 (step S246).

  On the other hand, if there is no transmission from the engine control device 110 in the process of step S241, the time-series freeze frame data is converted to the above-described time series freeze frame data through the processes of steps S243 to S246 without performing the process of step S242. It will be erased from the storage device 151. However, at this time, in the process of step S243, it may be determined that the time-series freeze frame data is not stored in the storage device 151. In this case, the control is terminated at that time. It becomes.

  In this modification as well, it is determined that the communication has been properly performed (step S245). After the time series freeze frame data is transmitted, the management center 200 sends the simultaneous series freeze frame data within a predetermined period. This is performed based on the notification of information (reception completion notification) indicating that the reception has been properly performed.

As described above, the same effects as in the above (1) and (7) to (9) can be obtained by such a modification. In addition, an effect equivalent to or equivalent to the effect (2) of the first embodiment can be obtained.
(Other embodiments)
The above-described embodiments can be implemented with the following modifications.

  Including the case of each of the above embodiments, the work area 111a of the data memory 111 normally stores a plurality of items of data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device, and a part of the data of the plurality of items (engine Rotational speed, intake air amount, etc.) are employed as the time-series freeze frame data. In each of the above embodiments, such time-series freeze frame data is saved in an external storage device by communication, and the appropriateness of the communication is determined to determine that the communication is properly performed. Below, the corresponding time-series freeze frame data is erased from the backup area 111b. However, if the data stored in the work area 111a and not used as the time-series freeze frame data among the plurality of items of data is also saved in the external storage device, it is like this. More detailed analysis based on simple data becomes possible. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the save processing procedure for such data save processing. Next, the save processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the storage device 201 in the management center 200 is adopted as the save destination of the data. That is, now, assuming that the time-series freeze frame data is stored in the backup area 111b (step S331), is the engine control device 110 first maintained in the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the engine control device 110? Whether or not is determined based on the flag state of the trip determination flag (step S332). The trip determination flag is operated to the set state based on the abnormality detection of the in-vehicle device detected by the failure diagnosis, and is also operated to the reset state based on the ON operation of the vehicle IG switch. Is. Therefore, in the process of step S332, if the trip determination flag is in the set state, the engine control apparatus 110 next determines that the power supply state to the engine control apparatus 110 is continued, and then proceeds to step S333. Transition to processing. In the process of step S333, in addition to the time-series freeze frame data stored in the backup area 111b, the data stored in the work area 111a is useful for the failure analysis (for example, for various sensors). Output value, input / output port status, etc.). However, if the trip determination flag is in the reset state in the process of step S332, the power supply state to the engine control device 110 is once cut off, and the data in the work area 111a has already been lost. . Therefore, in this case, the engine control device 110 transmits only the time-series freeze frame data saved in the backup area 111b to the management center 200 (step S334). In any case, after the stored contents of the data memory 111 are transmitted to the management center 200 by wireless communication, the appropriateness of the communication is determined, and under the determination that the communication has been properly performed (step In step S335, the corresponding time-series freeze frame data is deleted from the backup area 111b (step S336).

  In the processing procedure shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 13, based on the fact that the reception completion notification has not been received (steps S245 and S335), the corresponding data is retransmitted to the management center 200. Also good. For example, if the processing of steps S244 and S332 is performed again after executing the processing of steps S135 to S137 of the first embodiment, the corresponding data is appropriately sent to the management center 200. Will be able to send to. In this case, in particular, it is practically desirable that the process of step S138 (lighting of the MIL lamp) of the first embodiment is also performed.

In the system in which the navigation control device 150 is mounted on the vehicle, the engine control device 110 may perform the communication environment determination (step S136) based on position information obtained through the navigation control device 150. . That is, in this case, when determining the communication environment, as shown in FIG. 14, first, as a process of step S311, the communication flag is operated to the reset state. And on this basis, based on the position information from the navigation control device 150,
(C) The vehicle is in a communicable area (step S312).
as well as,
(D) The vehicle is not in a special condition such as in a tunnel or underground (step S313).
It is determined whether or not the logical product condition of is satisfied. As a result, if the logical product condition is satisfied, the control is terminated when the communication flag is set to the set state (step S314). Thereby, in the process of the next step S137 (see FIG. 6), it is determined that the communication environment with the management center 200 is good based on the fact that the communication flag is set. However, if the logical product conditions (c) and (d) are not satisfied (steps S312 and S313), the control is terminated at that time without performing the process of step S314. That is, in this case, in the process of step S137 (see FIG. 6), it is determined that the communication environment with the management center 200 is not good, and the communication environment is determined to be good in the process of step S137. Until this happens, the processing illustrated in FIG. 14 is repeated.

  -You may make it give the time information which shows the time when the failure of the vehicle equipment was detected by the said failure diagnosis to the said time series freeze frame data. In such a configuration, on the management center 200 side, the time series freeze frame data is not transmitted to the management center 200 based on the comparison with the reception time, that is, the simultaneous series freeze frame data is stored in the backup center. It becomes possible to recognize a period that has not been erased from the region 111b.

The time series freeze frame data does not have enough free space to store the time series freeze frame data in the backup area 111b from the time when the failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the fault diagnosis, and the vehicle IG You may make it provide the time data (time information) which shows the total time when the switch was in the ON state. In such a configuration, it becomes possible to easily recognize the time when the time-series freeze frame data is not erased from the backup area 111b even though the failure diagnosis is executed. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a memory operation procedure for a memory operation performed by the engine control apparatus 110 when such time data is added to the time-series freeze frame data. Next, referring to FIG. The memory operation procedure will be described. This process is repeatedly executed every second, for example. Here, it is assumed that the backup area 111b is set to a capacity capable of storing up to three time-series freeze frame data as shown in FIG. Further, DATA (r, s, t) shown in FIG. 16 indicates the frame number (r), sampling order (i), and type (j) of the corresponding data. However, in FIG. 16, the data whose sampling order is set to “0” is data sampled at the time of abnormality. The time data is added to the data sampled at the time of the abnormality. That is, in this processing, the engine control device 110 firstly, as shown in FIG.
(E) There is not enough free space in the backup area 111b to store new time-series freeze frame data (step S321).
(F) The IG switch of the vehicle is in an on state (step S322).
It is determined whether or not the logical product condition of is satisfied. As a result, when the logical product condition of (e) and (f) is satisfied, the time data of the three time-series freeze frame data FFD1 to FFD3 stored in the backup area 111b are Add "1" to each. On the other hand, when the logical product conditions (e) and (f) are not satisfied, the control is temporarily terminated at that time without performing the process of step S323. By repeating such processing every second, the time data given to the time-series freeze frame data is backed up by the time-series freeze frame data despite the failure diagnosis being executed. The total time not erased from the area 111b is shown.

  When the engine control device (vehicle diagnostic device) 110 can be connected to an external tool via a communication line, for example, at a dealer or a repair shop, the time series freeze frame data from the external tool An output request may be notified. However, at this time, if the time-series freeze frame data has been saved in the storage device outside the vehicle and the data has already been deleted from the data memory 111, an appropriate service is available at the dealer or repair shop. There are concerns that it will not be provided properly. In this regard, if the engine control device 110 responds to the output request from the external tool according to the procedure shown in FIG. 17, such a concern can be preferably eliminated. This process is repeated every predetermined period. That is, if an output request for the time-series freeze frame data is notified from the external tool (step S341), the engine control device 110 first sends the management center 200 to the management center 200 as shown in FIG. A request for returning the time-series freeze frame data is notified (step S342). Next, after the notification of the return request, it is determined whether or not the data has been returned from the management center 200 within a predetermined period (step S343). As a result, when the time-series freeze frame data is returned, the returned data is output to the external tool (step S344). However, if the time-series freeze frame data is not returned in the process of step S343, information indicating that the time-series freeze frame data is stored and held in the management center 200 is sent to an external tool. Output (step S345).

  -The process of step S135-S137 of the said 1st Embodiment is not restricted to retransmitting the said time series freeze frame data, You may make it perform whenever it transmits this time series freeze frame data.

  If the engine control device (vehicle diagnosis device) 110 includes a communication means for performing wireless communication with the management center 200, the time series freeze frame data is saved to an external storage device. Thus, it is possible to suitably suppress a load applied to a communication line such as an in-vehicle network built in the vehicle.

The procedure for storing the time-series freeze frame data in the backup area 111b is arbitrary.
-Time-series freeze frame data may be any data as long as it shows the transition of the operating status of the in-vehicle device from before the on-vehicle device has failed (abnormal) until after that, and the number of sampled data is arbitrary. .

  -Time series freeze frame data may not necessarily be adopted as freeze frame data. In short, any data may be used as long as it indicates the operation status of the in-vehicle device when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis.

  The determination method according to the communication environment determination (step S136) is arbitrary, as long as it is a method that can recognize whether or not information can be appropriately exchanged with the management center 200. Good.

  -About the user notification (step S138) of the information which shows that abnormality has arisen in communication between a vehicle and a management center, the method including the notification method using E-mail etc. is arbitrary.

  -The user notification (step S138) of information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the vehicle and the management center may not necessarily be performed. Similarly, the freeze frame data need not be retransmitted.

The data memory 111 may be a memory including an arbitrary volatile memory and an arbitrary nonvolatile memory (including a hard disk).
The data memory 111 may be provided only from either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. However, when the data memory 111 is composed only of a volatile memory, all the freeze frame data in the data memory 111 is externally stored during the period in which power supply from the in-vehicle battery to the engine control device 110 is continued. It is evacuated to the storage device by communication. In this case, the erasure target when it is determined that the communication is properly performed is freeze frame data stored in the volatile memory.

  The power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the engine control device 110 based on the IG switch of the vehicle being turned off during the transmission of the freeze frame data may not necessarily be maintained for the time required for the communication.

The vehicle diagnostic device is not limited to the engine control device 110 and may be any control device.
The data to be saved and erased from the data memory 111 is not limited to freeze frame data, but may be data used for vehicle abnormality analysis (abnormality analysis data). The data for abnormality analysis is data related to the situation in which an abnormality has occurred in, for example, sensors, actuators, or an engine control device, and is information that is useful for analyzing the abnormality. . For example, in order to detect the deterioration of the actuator, the machine difference learning value of the actuator (which changes due to aging) is periodically stored every predetermined time or every predetermined mileage after vehicle sales. There is a case where actuator deterioration is detected based on a change in the difference learning value. The data for abnormality analysis also includes a machine difference learning value that becomes such history information.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a system in which a vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is employed. The block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the time series freeze frame data of the embodiment. (A) And (b) is a block diagram which shows the storage aspect to the work area | region of the data which show the operating condition of vehicle equipment in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the memory operation procedure at the time of the data which show the operation condition of the vehicle equipment of the embodiment being stored in a work area. The flowchart which shows the flag processing procedure when the data which show the operation condition of the vehicle equipment of the embodiment are stored in a work area. The flowchart which shows the memory operation procedure about the deletion operation from the backup area | region of the time series freeze frame data performed by the vehicle diagnostic apparatus (engine control apparatus) concerning the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about the communication environment determination (step S137) concerning the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about the process performed when the IG switch of the embodiment is turned off. The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the system by which the vehicle diagnostic apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention is employ | adopted. The flowchart which shows the memory operation procedure about the deletion operation from the backup area | region of the time series freeze frame data performed by the vehicle diagnostic apparatus (engine control apparatus) concerning the embodiment. The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the system by which the vehicle diagnostic apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is employ | adopted. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about the memory operation performed by the navigation control apparatus of the modification. The flowchart which shows another example of the memory operation procedure about the erasure | elimination operation from the backup area of the time series freeze frame data performed by the vehicle diagnostic apparatus concerning this invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about another example of communication environment determination (step S137). The flowchart which shows the memory operation procedure about the memory operation in the case of giving time information to time series freeze frame data. A memory structure of the backup area where time series freeze frame data is stored. The flowchart which shows the process sequence about the response process performed based on the output request about time series freeze frame data being notified from an external tool.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Vehicle, 101 ... Communication bus, 110 ... Engine control device, 120 ... Transmission control device, 130 ... Brake control device, 140 ... Communication control device, 150 ... Navigation control device, 151, 201 ... Storage device, 200 ... Management center , BS ... communication bus.

Claims (22)

When a failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device is performed based on the sensor output of a sensor that detects a physical quantity that changes according to the operation status of the in-vehicle device, the operation status of the in-vehicle device when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis stores the freeze frame data to the internal data memory indicating the while is retracted by the communication to a separately provided storage freeze frame data stored in the data memory, to determine the appropriateness of the communication Under the judgment that the communication has been made properly, a vehicle diagnostic apparatus comprising memory operation means for performing a memory operation for deleting the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory ,
The storage device is provided in a management center that manages the freeze frame data outside the vehicle,
Between the vehicle and the management center, the freeze frame data is saved by wireless communication, and information exchange about data other than the data related to the freeze frame data is also performed.
The memory operation means determines that the communication is properly performed based on notification of information indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received from the management center. It is determined whether there is the vehicle at a position where the wireless communication can be performed based on a sensitivity state related to information exchange regarding data other than the data related to freeze frame data. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus that transmits the freeze frame data on the assumption that a communication environment between the control center and the management center is in place . When a failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device is performed based on the sensor output of a sensor that detects a physical quantity that changes according to the operation status of the in-vehicle device, the operation status of the in-vehicle device when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis stores the freeze frame data to the internal data memory indicating the while is retracted by the communication to a separately provided storage freeze frame data stored in the data memory, to determine the appropriateness of the communication Under the judgment that the communication has been made properly, a vehicle diagnostic apparatus comprising memory operation means for performing a memory operation for deleting the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory ,
The vehicle diagnostic apparatus can be connected to an external tool via a communication line,
The storage device is a management center that manages the freeze frame data outside a vehicle.
And the saving of the freeze frame data by the communication is performed by wireless communication with the management center,
The memory operation means determines that the communication has been properly performed based on the notification indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received from the management center, and from the external tool. When there is an output request for the freeze frame data, the management center is notified of a return request for the freeze frame data, and the freeze frame data returned from the management center is output to the external tool. A vehicle diagnostic device. The memory operating means stores and holds the freeze frame data in the management center based on the fact that the freeze frame data is not returned from the management center within a predetermined period after notifying the return request of the freeze frame data. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a function of outputting information indicating that the information is present to the external tool. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the memory operation unit includes a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the management center. The data memory includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and the memory operation means stores data indicating an operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time based on a failure detected in the in-vehicle device by the failure diagnosis. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the vehicle diagnosis apparatus stores the data in a volatile memory and temporarily saves the data stored in the volatile memory as the freeze frame data in the nonvolatile memory. As the freeze frame data, any one of claims 1 to 4, failure of the vehicle equipment to adopt time-sequential freeze frame data is data indicating the operating status of the vehicle equipment at the time points and before and after detection The vehicle diagnostic apparatus described in 1. The data memory includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and the memory operation unit stores data indicating an operation status of the in-vehicle device in the volatile memory in time series, and the in-vehicle device of the in-vehicle device by the failure diagnosis. When a failure is detected, the data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time is associated with the data indicating the operation status before and after the in-vehicle device, and the associated data is used as the time-series freeze frame data. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the vehicle diagnostic apparatus is temporarily saved in the nonvolatile memory. The data stored in time series in the volatile memory consists of at least three data sampled every predetermined time, and the data stored in time series in the volatile memory is stored in the predetermined time The data is sequentially shifted in a first-in first-out manner so that the relationship between the data sampled every time and the addresses corresponding to the sampling order of the data is maintained. When a failure of the device is detected, data indicating the operation status of the vehicle-mounted device at that time, data after the time of the shifted data, and data of the shifted data The time series freeze frame data is associated with at least two data before the point in time. Item 8. The vehicle diagnostic device according to Item 7 . Executed based on the sensor output of a sensor that detects physical quantities that change according to the operating status of in-vehicle devices
When a failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device is performed, freeze frame data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis is stored in the internal data memory and stored in this data memory. while retracted at communication to a separately provided storage freeze frame data is, to determine the properness of the communication, based on the determination that the same communication has been properly performed, the corresponding freeze frame data A vehicle diagnostic apparatus comprising a memory operation means for performing a memory operation for erasing from the data memory ,
The data memory comprises a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory,
The memory operation means stores, in the volatile memory, a plurality of items of data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at that time based on the detection of the in-vehicle device failure by the failure diagnosis. A part of the data of a plurality of items stored in the memory is temporarily saved in the nonvolatile memory as the freeze frame data, and after communication of the freeze frame data, a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. Determining whether or not the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the vehicle diagnostic device is continued, and determining that the power supply state is continued, the vehicle-mounted device stored in the volatile memory Data that is not adopted as the freeze frame data among the data of a plurality of items indicating the operation status of the Vehicle diagnostic device, characterized in that to avoid. When a failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device is performed based on the sensor output of a sensor that detects a physical quantity that changes according to the operation status of the in-vehicle device, the operation status of the in-vehicle device when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis stores the freeze frame data to the internal data memory indicating the while is retracted by the communication to a separately provided storage freeze frame data stored in the data memory, to determine the appropriateness of the communication Under the judgment that the communication has been made properly, a vehicle diagnostic apparatus comprising memory operation means for performing a memory operation for deleting the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory ,
The data memory is composed of a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory, and the volatile memory stores a plurality of items of data indicating the operating status of the in-vehicle device,
The memory operation means stores the data adopted as the freeze frame data among the data of the plurality of items in the volatile memory in time series, and when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, The data indicating the operation status of the in-vehicle device at the time point is associated with the data indicating the operation status before and after the in-vehicle device, and the associated data is temporarily saved in the nonvolatile memory as time-series freeze frame data In the communication of the time series freeze frame data, it is determined whether or not the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the vehicle diagnosis device is continued after the failure diagnosis of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis. Operation of the in-vehicle device stored in the volatile memory under the judgment that the power supply state is continued Vehicle diagnostic device for causing the data that is not used as the time-sequential freeze frame data among the data of a plurality of items indicating the status is retracted together with respect to the storage device. The data stored in time series in the volatile memory consists of at least three data sampled every predetermined time, and the data stored in time series in the volatile memory is stored in the predetermined time The data is sequentially shifted in a first-in first-out manner so that the relationship between the data sampled every time and the addresses corresponding to the sampling order of the data is maintained. When a failure of the device is detected, data indicating the operation status of the vehicle-mounted device at that time, data after the time of the shifted data, and data of the shifted data The time series freeze frame data is associated with at least two data before the point in time. Item 15. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to Item 10 . The storage device is provided in a management center that manages the freeze frame data outside the vehicle, and the storage of the freeze frame data by the communication is performed by wireless communication with the management center, and the memory The operation means determines that the communication has been properly performed based on notification from the management center that information indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received has been received . The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to one item . The memory operating means, after transmitting the freeze frame data, the freeze frame data based on the fact that information indicating that the freeze frame data has been properly received is not notified from the management center within a predetermined period. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a function of retransmitting the information to the management center. The memory operation means counts the number of continuous executions of the retransmission of the freeze frame data, and indicates that the freeze frame data has been properly received from the management center even when the counted number of continuous executions reaches a predetermined number. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising a function of canceling retransmission of the freeze frame data when an abnormality has occurred in communication between the vehicle and the management center when no information indicating the status is notified. The memory operation means counts the number of continuous executions of the retransmission of the freeze frame data, and indicates that the freeze frame data has been properly received from the management center even when the counted number of continuous executions reaches a predetermined number. The vehicle diagnosis apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising a function of notifying a user of information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the vehicle and the management center when information indicating the condition is not notified. The memory operation means determines whether or not a communication environment with the management center is prepared when transmitting the freeze frame data, and the freeze frame data is determined based on the determination that the communication environment is prepared. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15 . The memory operation means determines whether or not the vehicle is at a position where wireless communication with the management center can be performed, and the communication environment is prepared based on the presence of the vehicle at the position. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16 . The storage device is provided in an in-vehicle control device that manages the freeze frame data inside a vehicle, and the saving of the freeze frame data by the communication is performed by wired communication with the in-vehicle control device, the memory operation unit, according to claim 9 to 11 to determine that the communication based on the information indicating that the reception of the freeze frame data from the vehicle control apparatus has been performed properly is notified is made properly The vehicle diagnostic device according to any one of the above. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18 , wherein time information indicating a time when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis is given to the freeze frame data. The freeze frame data does not have enough free space to store the freeze frame data in the data memory from the time when the failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, and the vehicle key switch is turned on. The vehicle diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 , wherein time information indicating a total time in the vehicle is given. The memory operation means further has a function of holding the power supply state from the in-vehicle battery to the vehicle diagnostic device for the time required for the retraction based on the vehicle key switch being turned off while the freeze frame data is being saved. The vehicle diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20 . When a failure diagnosis of an in-vehicle device is performed based on the sensor output of a sensor that detects a physical quantity that changes according to the operation status of the in-vehicle device, the operation status of the in-vehicle device when a failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis stores the freeze frame data to the internal data memory indicating the while is retracted by the communication to a separately provided storage freeze frame data stored in the data memory, to determine the appropriateness of the communication Under the judgment that the communication has been made properly, a vehicle diagnostic apparatus comprising memory operation means for performing a memory operation for deleting the corresponding freeze frame data from the data memory ,
The freeze frame data does not have enough free space to store the freeze frame data in the data memory from the time when the failure of the in-vehicle device is detected by the failure diagnosis, and the vehicle key switch is turned on. A vehicle diagnosis apparatus characterized by being provided with time information indicating the total time of the vehicle.

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